By: Christopher Feery | June 21, 2017

One of the signature stories of 2016 was the alarming amount of violence that took place between members of law enforcement and the communities they serve. The violence swung in both directions, and there were a number of shocking incidents that seemed to rip our nation apart at the seams. One of those incidents took place in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota. Philando Castile, a 32-year-old black motorist, was shot dead during a traffic stop by Officer Jeronimo Yanez.

The incident was ripe with sketchy details that made it tough for investigators to get to the bottom of it. The investigation led to charges being brought against Yanez, and a trial has just wrapped up. Yanez was found not guilty of manslaughter for Castile’s death, and that has re-opened the old wounds surrounding his death. Protests rang out, and both sides of the argument continue to go back and forth with no end in sight.

As the Daily Mail shares, a former NFL quarterback has chimed in with his two cents on social media. Rather than calling for calm or offering up some words of wisdom for those directly affected by the tragedy, Colin Kaepernick felt that the best course of action was to do his part to increase the divide. He posted some inflammatory commentary, and it was made all the more disturbing by the image he chose to include with his post.

“A system that perpetually condones the killing of people, without consequence, doesn't need to be revised, it needs to be dismantled!” Kaepernick wrote.

That post was attached to an image of two badges. The one on the right was a basic police badge, while the one on the left read ‘Runaway Slave Patrol.’

“You can't ignore your history. Always remember who they are,” his post continued.

Kaepernick’s post received a ton of attention, and it was shared ad nauseam. The unemployed signal caller has not expanded on his thoughts. As for Castile’s family, they are outraged over the verdict in the trial. The victim’s mother, Valerie Castile, delivered some fiery remarks outside of the courtroom.

“I hope (Yanez) dies tonight! I'm mad as hell right now. My son loved this city, and this city killed my son. The system continues to fail black people, and it will continue to fail you all,” she said. “The fact in this matter is that my son was murdered, and I'll continue to say murdered, because where in this planet (can you) tell the truth, and you be honest, and you still be murdered by the police of Minnesota.”

It’s impossible to imagine the emotions that she’s going through right now, as it can be downright impossible to see past the anger when you lose a loved one in such a horrifying fashion. That being said, the jury did not see enough evidence to hold Yanez liable for manslaughter.

As for Kaepernick, his post was unnecessary noise about a topic that’s contentious enough as it is. Perhaps he can stay off of social media long enough to figure out why not one of the NFL’s 32 teams has found a use for his services this season.